§ Sir Bernard Braineasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what research has been recently carried out under Government auspices or by 631W industry into the hazards of plastic furnishings in the home in the event of serious fire; and what were the findings in each case.
§ Mr. John FraserI have been asked to reply.
A three-year research project, sponsored by the Government, to investigate the fire hazards of plastic materials used in the manufacture of furniture was completed last summer. The report on the third and final year of this research, undertaken by the Rubber and Plastics Research Association under the direction of the Fire Research Station, was published last month.
Among the findings, it was shown that in fires involving sitting/dining room furniture, under well ventilated conditions, traditional furniture is relatively difficult to ignite compared with modem furniture containing foamed rubber and polyurethane upholstery foams. It also burns less rapidly and produces less smoke. Experiments indicated that the flammability of a modern commercial suite could be reduced to resemble that of traditional furniture by the substitution of less flammable fabrics and by incorporating suitable interlining materials. The basic data from this project are being used in current Government financed research concerned with the development of test methods for determining the ignitability and flammability of upholstered furniture.
In addition, the Fire Research Station is engaged on a continuous programme of studies into the behaviour in fire of plastics in furniture and fittings and this programme is kept under regular review.
§ Sir Bernard Braineasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department in view of the fact that plastic foam materials involved in fires on domestic premises are likely to have been the cause of injury and death, what action he proposes to take to warn the general public about the risks of using such materials in the home.
§ Mr. John FraserI have been asked to reply.
Such materials present no risks if normal precautions are taken to prevent fires occurring. The Government and other bodies already promote a great deal of publicity on this subject and I do not think there are any specific warnings or 632W advice concerning plastic foams which would serve any purpose.